Environment and natural resources
A look inside Xayaburi dam
The Xayaburi dam, with installed capacity of 1,260 MW, is the first one among 12 mainstream dams on the Mekong river. Located approximately 30 kilometers east of Xayaburi district, in northern Laos, this $3.2 billion dam is a controversial case: while Laos and dam-developers are ...
Haze problem worsens in North as many provinces hit by wildfires
Many provinces were affected by wildfires yesterday, causing the acute haze problem to intensify, while the Disease Control Department warned vulnerable groups such as the elderly and the infirm to stay indoors and wear face masks. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said that due to ...
Ministry warns of unusual dry season rain
The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology has warned of impending unseasonal rain from this week until early next week, especially in lowland areas. According to Monday’s announcement, wind coming from the South China Sea will affect the country and cause rain in some provinces ...
Mekong water diplomacy vital
Dr Lê Tuấn Anh, deputy director of the Research Institute for Climate Change at Cần Thơ University, speaks to Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (Liberated Sài Gòn) newspaper about the negative impact of climate change. Do you anticipate that in 2017 the Mekong Delta region will face a drought as severe as last year’s? ...
Savannakhet orders 253 furniture plants to shut down
Savannakhet provincial authorities have ordered 253 family-based furniture plants to shut down many of them operating without business licenses, while some are failing to meet set standards. Some 166 plants are operating without business licenses, while the 87 remaining plants approved by districts’ authorities failed ...
Japan to help country go green
Japan has signed a three-year deal to help train government officials on attracting environmentally friendly investment. The Environment Ministry and Japan International Cooperation Agency on March 6 signed the agreement to educate officials about how to use environmental impact assessments and enforce pollution controls. The project is ...
JICA to aid impact studies
The Ministry of the Environment signed an agreement yesterday afternoon with the Japan International Cooperation Agency in an effort to improve the Ministry of the Environment’s capacity to curb pollution and review environmental impact assessments for development projects. “[JICA] will deploy advisers and discuss with officers ...
Hanoi’s iconic lakes need urgent clean-up help
One sunny morning in October 2016, Hanoi residents living around the city’s West Lake woke up to a foul and irritating smell. “We could not bear the overwhelming smell,” Ms Huong, a local resident said, wearing a mask while inside her home. “But we have nowhere ...
Lights off in Vietnam for earth hour
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang and 60 other cities and provinces will turn off the light from 8.30 PM to 9.30 PM on March 25, in sync with foreign countries. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has launched the Earth Hour campaign 2017 themed “Light ...
The mysterious ancient cinnamon forest on Ngoc Linh mountain
There is a cinnamon forest, hundreds of years old, on the Mount of Ngoc Linh. One has to pass through tens of hills, muddy roads and climb many rocks for hours to reach the mysterious forest, located in Tra Van commune of Nam Tra My ...
